Born in Germany and raised in the United States, this Franciscan sister devoted herself to running hospitals. She gave the rest of her life to people with leprosy on Molokai, Hawaii, and cared for Father Damien in his final days.
Life
Saint Marianne Cope was born in Germany in 1838 and as an infant moved with her family to Utica, New York. Family needs sent her to work in a factory before she entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse, where she served as a teacher and hospital administrator and helped found hospitals in New York State.
In 1883, when a letter arrived from Hawaii asking for sisters to care for people with leprosy, she answered willingly along with fellow sisters. She cared for patients at Kalaupapa on Molokai, nursed Saint Damien in his final days, and carried on his work after his death. She died there in 1918 and was canonized in 2012.
Spirituality
Marianne Cope's spirituality is a fearless love that goes to those most abandoned. She gladly answered a call others had declined and sought to care not only for her patients' bodies but for their dignity and joy. For her, serving the sick was serving Christ.
Reflection
Mother Marianne said yes to a call others hesitated to answer. There are lonely, forgotten patients and elders around us too. Why not visit or call one such person this week?